Code Geass R2: Epilogue
by IzanagiMikoto
Summary: C.C. tries to say goodbye to Lelouch one last time... or not.
1. Life After Death

**Summary**: C.C. tries to say goodbye to Lelouch one last time. Spoilers up to R2's ending.

**IzanagiMikoto**: Please review. Reviews are the fuel for engine that is my brain.

**R2: Epilogue**

She should've left. That's what she was good at, leaving and discarding people who couldn't grant her wish. How ironic, that she herself didn't know her own truth, but Lelouch had. As much as she wanted to deny it, he'd been right all along. It was infuriating to be out done by someone so much younger. That simply wasn't the way the game was played.

"Ugh…" groaned the guard as he slid down the wall.

It was easy for C.C. to break into this place. After all, who would guard a dead body? Everyone had seen him die on live television. Besides, who would possibly doubt "Zero?" He'd come back just in time to answer the people's call for justice to vanquish the "Demon King" Lelouch.

Didn't he feel anything about going down in history as an "enemy of the world?" C.C. didn't know if she could handle the weight of something like that, but he shouldered everything by himself like always.

At least some of the Black Knights knew the truth. Kallen and Todoh would take it with them to their graves, but Lelouch wouldn't be forgotten. C.C. knew how painful it was to be forgotten. Lelouch was very lucky.

The morgue is a cold depressing place, but C.C. hadn't thought this way in a long time. People died. It is a fact of life, but C.C. would always live on, that was also a fact. Only now did she think differently, and all because of one man. Depressing as it was, Lelouch had simply proved she'd be alone for eternity.

"Well, at least you fulfilled your promise," she said softly. Her eyes were uncharacteristically soft as she gazed down at that familiar face. "Even if it was only a short while, you made me smile."

That night, after defeating Schneizel, had been magical. Lelouch had whisked her off for one final night together, treating her like a queen. He probably only meant to leave her with happy memories, but that only made the inevitable end worse.

_Don't you hate me, Lelouch?_

"You should have. If you did I wouldn't have to feel like this would I? You'd just be like all the others, but you weren't. You were so much more than I expected."

_It's the first time I've met a man like you._

"And I doubt I'll ever meet someone else like you Lelouch." Her fingers brushed several strands out of his face. He was chillingly cool to the touch.

_Does that mean you love Lelouch?_

"I told Kallen that I didn't know." She smiled in a self-depreciating manner, tears threatening to spill over. "That was a lie…"

_Lelouch… As compensation for putting Geass on people…_

"You're such a bad brother and lover. You made Nunally and I cry, but you already knew that didn't you? It was probably in your calculations. I even prayed for a miracle, your safety. I haven't prayed to God in a long time." A lone tear slipped down her porcelain skin. "I guess that's what made you the best man. I suppose it's fitting for me, who's always leaving people, to be left behind in the end."

"Look at what you've done. You've reduced me to just another pathetic woman." Slowly, she lowered her face, staring at him one last time.

"Lelouch… I…" she moved her hair out of the way, leaning in for one last kiss, but…

She gasped. "Lelouch?"

**Two weeks later…**

The hay inside the wagon and the sun on her face was surprisingly comfortable. She only had one of her Cheese-kun plushies and not a single cent to her name. Nonetheless, she couldn't be happier. Not that she'd tell him. He'd be even more insufferable if he knew how she felt. She couldn't let him be any more arrogant otherwise that fat head of his might explode.

"The Power of Kings, called Geass, will make people lonely," she said with a slight smile, allowing a soft laugh to escape her tender lips. "I suppose that wasn't quite true. Right, Lelouch?"

"Che, C.C. why am I doing all the work?" huffed Lelouch as he took off his hat.

"Isn't that the man's job? Taking care of his lady." she asked playfully.

"I don't know of any 'ladies' like you." Lelouch tiredly wiped the sweat off his face for the umpteenth time. Being dead hadn't helped his physique at all, but at least the sun was returning some of the color to his complexion. If only it wasn't so damn hot. "You could've at least checked the order."

Rolling over to her stomach, she crawled up to the front, leaning on the wagon edge behind Lelouch. "You should just get Orange-kun to take care of everything. Isn't he your loyal retainer?"

"I'm no longer a prince, much less a king, so I can't order him to do anything. Jeremiah has been very good to us when we had nowhere else to go."

"And now you're an orange planter." C.C. picked some straws of hay out of her green hair.

"You mean us, don't you C.C.?" he asked, a twitch on his face.

The witch remained peacefully quiet, allowing the former prince to draw his own conclusions.

"I was surprised to see Anya there."

"So was I. The last time we saw her, she wanted to kill you."

"It seems like Jeremiah restored her memories with his Geass canceller."

"Did she remember anything interesting? Perhaps scandalous?"

"Sadly, no." Leouch's tone was dry.

"That doesn't explain what she's doing here," C.C. said, saddling up next to Lelouch in the front seat. "Perhaps Orange-kun has a taste for younger women."

"C.C.!" he exclaimed, giving her a long, hard stare, but C.C. let it slide off her like water of a swan's back. Lelouch could only sigh in response. Getting mad at C.C. was pointless; it only made the heat even worse. "Don't call him Orange-kun."

At this comment, C.C. merely gave him the look. "You have to admit, there's a certain irony to it."

"…"

Seeing that Lelouch was reaching his limit, C.C. decided to back off, for now. She didn't want him to suffer a heat stroke. If that happened she'd have to drive the cart, and she wasn't really in the mood.

Trying to find something else to occupy her, C.C. searched the packages they had picked up for the orange plantation. She didn't even realize she was giving Lelouch a nice show of her rear, but he certainly did. As she was sifting through the boxes, one in particular stuck out.

"What's this?" C.C. said, waving the newest brand of video camera, surprisingly made by the Japanese. It just goes to show how much things had changed.

"Ah, Anya wanted a new camera to replace her old one."

"What happened to it?"

"She apparently lost it in the battle for Damocles."

"Hmm…" C.C. merely looked at the camera in a seemingly neutral manner, but if one looked closely they could see the disapproval in her eyes. "Did you pay for this?"

"What's wrong, jealous?" Lelouch asked with a smirk.

Oh, if only he knew what happened prior to his "resurrection." C.C. would never live it down.

"Of course not," she replied, careless tossing the camera back into the box, ignoring Lelouch's shout to "watch out, it's fragile." She wouldn't know about that, although it did look expensive, especially considering their tight budget. "Unlike Orange-kun, I know you like older women."

The ex-prince turned his head away, trying to hide his blush from the familiarly coquettish look C.C. was giving him. It was futile, but C.C. would let him escape for now. She'd catch him later. They had plenty of time.

"What are you doing C.C.?" asked Lelouch, as his voice raised a pitch. His surprise wasn't unwarranted. It wasn't often that C.C. showed such a vulnerable side of herself, cuddling against his arm. Not that he was complaining. The witch was far too complex, a byproduct of her centuries of experience. He'd had enough of difficult things for a lifetime or an eternity.

"What? Isn't this what you wanted?" she asked, playfully glancing into his purple orbs with her gold ones.

_Damn…_

Staring into her face like that, she was just so dazzling, and Lelouch got the inexplicable urge to kiss her again. However, that would be giving in and therefore losing this game of theirs. C.C. got away with it several times. He was still trying to figure out how she did that.

"Fufu."

"What?!" Lelouch inquired. C.C. knowing something he didn't was unsettling. It meant she had an edge over him.

"It's nothing."

And with that the conversation was over. He should've known better. C.C. was good at keeping secrets. He hadn't even grilled her about Geass and his origins; questions he hadn't bothered to ask earlier, somehow knowing she wouldn't give him an answer. But now was different wasn't it? There was no longer a need for secrets between them, but it never seemed the right time to bring it up.

"I was surprised when you came back," she quietly said.

Lelouch glanced down at her, but her face was buried in his shoulder. All he could see was her green mane. With his face so close he could smell that flowery scent of hers, and was she wearing perfume?

"Not as surprised as me," he replied, looking down at the code on his hand. The one Charles had passed onto him inadvertently, or perhaps the World had given it to him. Was it a blessing or a curse? He didn't mention it out loud to C.C. because he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

He hadn't even known he had it. Apparently, it took one's death to activate. He should've known after what happened with the Emperor, and the moment with Nunally, when he shared his true feelings with her.

"I'm glad you came back…"

Drawing him from his thoughts, he saw the open look on C.C.'s face. It was a rare treat, and he would be a fool to let this opportunity slip by. So he did the only natural thing; he kissed her. Neither was sure how long they were like that, but both had a dazed look when they pulled away.

"You're getting better," C.C. replied, licking her lips.

"Hmph." Lelouch smirked.

"Watch the road."

"What!" Lelouch suddenly pulled on the reigns, stopping the horses from pulling the cart into a small ditch. It would have been hard to get the cart out of the ditch, and probably impossible if he had to do it by himself. His strength was still… below average. Exhaling his relief, he turned to his accomplice. "You could have warned me earlier."

"I could of, but you looked like you were enjoying yourself."

He just couldn't win with this woman. They continued down the road in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before C.C. asked another question. She was very talkative today.

"Do you miss the others?" her tone was neutral, but he could've sworn he heard a tremor in her voice. Had his "death" really affected her so much?

"Of course. Kaichou, Rivalz, and even Nina. But most of all I'll miss Suzaku and Nunally."

"What about Kallen?"

"Her too," he answered truthfully, turning to look at C.C. who was staring down to the side. "But didn't you say it, C.C.?"

Turning to look back at him, she wracked her mind, wondering what he was referring to.

"In the end, it'll only be you and me." Reaching for her left hand, he took in his right, holding her hand the way lovers do. "Although that'll be pretty far off for both of us."

"Hmph. You've gotten much better at smooth talking," she replied with a smirk of her own.

"Oh, I was always good at it. Didn't you know?"

"No, but I'm sure the girls at Ashford did."

"You're the only one, C.C."

C.C. searched his eyes, seeing only the truth and turned back to the interesting grass on the side of the road.

"You should quit while you're ahead, boy."

_Is she blushing?_

Lelouch merely smiled. He could've pushed on, but he wanted to savor the moment in peace. It was something new to him, but he had plenty of time to discover new things about C.C. They had eternity after all.

After they got back to Jeremiah's orange plantation, C.C. hopped off, taking her bag and Cheese-kun.

"I'll let Orange-kun know we're home."

"C.C…."

"Don't worry, I'll shout it out loud and give him enough time for Anya and him to get decent."

For a moment, he wondered if eternity was such a good thing after all, considering his company, but remembering C.C.'s pure smile was all it took to wipe his fears away.

**The End… for now…**

**IzanagiMikoto**: Let me know what you think. I just couldn't let this go after seeing the end of R2. It obviously needs some work, since I wrote it on impulse. Flames are unwelcome. If you're going to criticize please be constructive. I don't need to see something like, "it sucks." I already know that.

Considering making a few one shots of C.C. and Lelouch's life after R2 like Kiki Hayashi's "Slices of C.C." but who knows. Kiki's story is awesome stuff, be sure to check it out.

**Update 10:29 PM 9/28/08:**

If anyone has any advice as to what direction they'd like this story to go, please let me know. This means I'll consider it; I can't make any promises. If it's something outlandish, I probably won't include it, but if it's something plausible that's a different story.

I'm not in the mood for anything epic right now. Another World War isn't something I'm currently interested in.


	2. Good Morning

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Code Geass.

**Author's Notes**: Been awhile since I updated. Sorry about that.

The rating has been raised for sexuality, though there's no lemon. It's mainly a precaution of mine to be on the safe side.

I had a different chapter (one with a more humorous tone) in the works but my computer bombed, so I'm trying to look for a backup.

In the meantime, this one is probably more somber than I intended. The characters are probably also a little OOC, but in my defense Lelouch is probably canonically dead, so there… Plus, I just finished watching the ending of the Angel Beats series. For those of you who know what I'm talking about, the ending put me in a certain mood. Series by Key have a tendency to do that.

Time wise, this chapter takes place sometime after the previous one and I suppose a few months to half a year after "Lelouch's death."

**Summary:** Today, Lelouch wakes up to his new life after death.

**Chapter 2: Good Morning**

Lelouch was awoken by the birds chirping outside. As the last vestiges of sleep trickled from his mind, his nostrils breathed in the rugged scent of the earth mixed with the tingling sensation of the fresh crops wafting in through the open window. His bare chest squirmed against the white bed sheets as Lelouch failed to fall back asleep. He tried to stretch his body but was stopped by a familiar weight on his left arm. After cracking his left eye open, he gazed upon the tantalizing visage of C.C.'s nude body.

No matter how many times he saw it, Lelouch would never get tired of waking up next to C.C. Her head lay peaceful on his chest, and her body rested on top of his arm, which snaked around her back. He found the weight of her body comforting. Her tousled bright green hair cascaded down her shoulders, failing to cover her pert breasts, which rose and fell to her steady breathing, and her milky white skin was unblemished save for the angry scar carved over her heart.

In sleep, C.C. looked so peaceful, unlike her wakeful self, though she had changed over these past few months. Or perhaps this was her true persona unfettered by the harsh reality of the world?

It was like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Near the end of the Zero Requiem, Lelouch had noticed a certain frailty in C.C.'s attitude, but at the time, he had chalked it up to his impending death. The witch's feeble attempt to hide her hurt at his ill jest gave Lelouch a perverse pleasure at knowing how much she cared.

Lelouch had also changed. With no grand plans and world peace seemingly stable, Lelouch found that he enjoyed his current lifestyle. Working on the farm was arduous, but seeing his crops grow then harvest and sell them brought him a strange sense of satisfaction. These were the fruits of his labor, and that knowledge somehow enriched the taste of his meals.

If you had asked Lelouch two years ago what he thought he would be doing later in life, being a farmer had not even been a consideration; however, now, he couldn't imagine anything else.

It was a simple life. And though there were times he was bored, Lelouch was happy, far more than he believed he deserved. His sins still weighed him down, but C.C. had made inadvertently made him realize how selfish he had been. Cursed with her immortality, C.C. would probably never know solace, for despite her façade, she was too kind to force her curse upon anyone else.

While he had chosen to take the world's hate upon himself, Lelouch could now admit to himself that a part of him couldn't bear to go on living knowing what he had done. Death was the coward's way out, and now that he was immortal, there was no way he would let C.C. wander through the ages alone. After everything she had done for him, it was the least he could do for her. The fact that he was enamored with her played no small part in his decision. Now, being with C.C. was hardly a labor, unlike the early stages of their partnership.

When had things begun to change? When was it that C.C. had become more than a pain in the ass? When did his feelings for her become romantic?

Was it when C.C. had suddenly appeared in the Narita Mountain Range, asking him her mysterious question about snow? Was it when he answered her in the cave, after hearing her true name, giving him some insight into her past, her true nature? Was it when Mao had threatened their partnership?

The insane Chinese man had certainly been a thorn in Lelouch's side, but he had been no real competition. Lelouch was not certain why C.C. had left her previous contractor, but Lelouch was certain that C.C. had never been Mao's lover. Back then, Lelouch's pride had prevented him from realizing what he had felt was jealousy, but now, Lelouch could acknowledge his feelings. Knowing C.C. had loved someone else, even if it was different from how she felt about him, irritated Lelouch.

Then there was that whole fiasco with Euphie, and C.C. had comforted him. Their first kiss, in the Gawain's cockpit, was a pleasant memory for Lelouch; unfortunately, at the time, he was too shocked and under duress to capitalize on the situation.

As Lelouch searched his memory for key changes and turning points in their relationship, he stopped when he reached the Sword of Akasha. He had met another facet of C.C.'s consciousness and had seen her past. Despite being a grade-A bastard, Lelouch's heart went out to C.C. seeing how she had suffered. It was probably then that he knew he loved her. He remembered his frantic words, not wanting C.C. to die, especially at the hands of his father. Then she had lost her memories, preventing him from exploring the feelings he had come to realize. By the time of the Zero Requiem, it was too late. Telling C.C. he loved her would have been just another burden for her to carry after his death; it wouldn't be fair to her. Besides, that wasn't what C.C. had needed.

The final and most important gift that Lelouch had ever given her was in the hanger, during the battle for the Damocles. He had told her that he didn't hate her, which was as far as he could go to admitting his true feelings, and said that he was thankful for her giving him Geass. The fallout from his actions rested solely on him and not her. Without C.C. he would have been a living corpse, but she had given him the power to take control of his life, to change the world, to give himself purpose.

And now… Now there was little reason to hold back. They were going to be together for a longtime, hopefully forever, but he didn't want to think that far ahead. As long as he was with C.C. he was certain things would work out.

A cool breeze invaded their bedroom, causing C.C.'s body to unconsciously shiver. Lelouch carefully drew up the sheets to cover their bodies. A few more minutes of rest wouldn't hurt; however, for whatever reason, Lelouch thumb unconsciously began to trace up and down C.C.'s arm. The gentle touch roused C.C. from her sleep, sending her golden orbs searching for his purple ones.

"Good morning," he said.

"Morning," she returned. "What time is it?"

Lelouch glanced at the clock next to their bed. "7: 16."

"What? No morning breakfast? I guess the honeymoon's over." There was no malice in her words, merely a teasing smirk on her luscious lips.

In the past, Lelouch might have reacted differently and C.C.'s words might have had more bite to them, but they were no longer who they used to be. Lelouch was no longer a prince, Demon Emperor, or Zero. C.C. was no longer completely alone, bitter, or wandering aimlessly. They were just a man and a woman, a warlock and his witch.

"Sorry, I'll endeavor to be a better husband in the future." His voice tangled with light mirth and sarcasm.

"Don't worry." C.C. leaned her face closer to Lelouch's. "I'll be sure to train you well."

"Don't you mean 'break in'?"

Her seductive movements seemed to come easily to C.C. The coquettish look in her eyes, the way her legs entangled his, the touch of her breasts against his chest. All these things caused Lelouch's breath to hitch. While he had become more comfortable in the sexual aspect of their relationship, her eagerness still surprised him.

Their lips met in a gentle kiss that steadily grew, their tongues following; both hungry for more.

C.C. was a good kisser. She was good at a lot of things. She was particularly experienced in the bedroom, and while it hadn't really bothered him before, it did now.

C.C. was hardly a virgin when they had first made love, not that he had expected her to, given how old he suspected she was. He didn't think she was a whore or anything of the sort, but he was more than a little jealous of the men before him. How many others had seen the flutter of her wanton gaze, heard her husky moans, smelled her citrus scent, tasted her lascivious tongue, or fondled her sensitive body. Such petty thoughts and a streak of possessiveness made Lelouch wonder how things would've been if they had been born in the same time period, if he had met C.C. before that nun, the previous code bearer who had betrayed C.C.'s trust.

His kiss became rougher, more forceful, but he knew C.C. could handle it. Some of their lovemaking sessions had been even more energetic.

Pulling away to catch his breath, Lelouch noticed a stand of saliva connected them before it broke when C.C. licked her lips.

"What's wrong?" she asked, still feeling the mood.

"Nothing," he said, giving into his urges to silence the questioning. It was a childish reaction; something he thought they'd done away with their new lifestyle, but old habits were hard to break.

"You were probably thinking useless things again, like a true male." Her predatory gaze told him she had read his thoughts like an open book. In a way, Lelouch was thankful because his envious thoughts were too embarrassing to be spoken aloud. He might have grown more comfortable in C.C.'s presence, but not to the point where he could share everything with her. Sure, they had known each other for awhile, but most of that time had been squandered by their conflicting and duplicitous personalities and the harrowing situation instead of cultivating intimacy.

"Does it really bother you?" she asked.

Despite her seeming aloofness to the question, Lelouch understood that his answer mattered to her; this was one of C.C's rare sensitive moments. Going by his limited experience, women were curious creatures – strong one moment and sensitive the next.

"No, I mean it's not you," he replied. Despite his calculating nature, Lelouch found himself stumbling over his words. This was ridiculous. He had sent people to their deaths convinced the world to follow him then manipulated their feelings, masquerading as the embodiment of the world's evil, but he couldn't find the right words to assure the woman he loved that he didn't think any less of her history. Mentally, he sighed. Things were so much easier when he didn't have to worry about being sensitive to C.C. Then he kicked himself. There was no way he wanted to take a step back in their relationship. "I'm just sorry… alright jealous… that I wasn't well…"

She kissed him, saving him from further embarrassment. He took her reaction as to meaning she was satisfied with his response. It was somewhat chaste, compared to the previous one. Her face rested on his neck as she held him. "I'll let you in on a little secret, Lelouch. Every man wants to be a woman's first, while every woman just wants to be a man's last."

Silence hovered in the room as he digested her words and the wisdom in it. It was times like this that he understood the difference in experience between them. While he was worried about something petty, C.C. wanted him to understand her intentions about their future together – if he would have her, she would stay with him.

"We can't the change the past or the things we've done, we can only move forward. You of all people should understand."

Lelouch thought of his father, who yearned for yesterday, Schneizel who yearned for today, and himself who yearned for tomorrow. Yes, he understood what C.C. was saying. It did little to sooth the green-eyed monster of jealousy smoldering in his heart, but he took solace in C.C.'s words. So what if he wasn't the first man to know C.C.? He would be the one to stand with her through time.

"Good, now that we've taken care of that, let's get down to business. You've gotten better, but if you thought three times was enough to satisfy me then you've got another thing coming, boy."

He chuckled. "Yes, sensei. Unfortunately, I think Anya and Jeremiah are waiting for us with breakfast."

Lelouch and C.C. lived in one of the outlying buildings of Jeremiah's plantation, far enough that if Jeremiah had visitors there was little danger of the Demon Emperor and his Grey Witch being discovered, but close enough that they could walk to the main manor for meals.

Jeremiah still considered Lelouch his master, though he had dropped the formal title.

"Let them wait. Phone them if you think you're up for another marathon."

"What about the tomatoes?" Lelouch asked teasingly.

Oranges might have been Jeremiah's main crop, but it wasn't the only one. C.C. tenderly cared for the tomatoes as if they were her own children since they were one of the main ingredients to her favorite food.

"It's not food I'm hungry for right now."

**To be continued?**

**Author's Notes**: Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Once again, please review even if it's just to let me know whether or not you liked it. Reviews are the foods that fuel my brain. I especially enjoy constructive criticism. Flames will be ignored.

Like before, I'm open to suggestions for future chapters.

I might be revising this over the next few days. It's a habit of mine.

I've read a considerable amount of fics out there where C.C. and Lelouch retain their personalities, but I wanted to go for something different this time. In my mind, I view this epilogue as a sort of peace for Lelouch and C.C. there's no longer anything holding them back from being who they are. Naturally, this is more of an issue for C.C. who is saddled with years of baggage, but I wanted to explore what their feelings for each other if they were a little more honest. This is from Lelouch's point of view and touches mostly on his feelings, but that's only because I thought I could emulate his feelings better than C.C.'s, who is way more complex. They're probably a little OOC, but I tried to keep their core natures intact.


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